Tanks, I Needed That!

As emerging technologies in concrete construction march relentlessly forward and new product and safety standards follow closely behind, precasters can benefit from information available from NPCA’s website to maintain a competitive edge.

By Phillip Cutler, P.E.

With the ever-increasing emphasis on pretreatment regulations for precast concrete wastewater products and their competition, precast tank producers can stay ahead of the curve in their markets by raising the bar on quality and tapping the web resources available from NPCA.

How can producers raise the bar on quality? It all starts with being knowledgeable about nationally recognized standards for tanks. Engineers and specifiers count on tank producers to consistently manufacture water and wastewater structures to a high level of quality and soundness. Standards such as ASTM C 890 map out the minimum structural design loading, while ASTM C 1227 and C 1613 cover the specific minimum design and performance requirements for precast concrete septic tanks (www.solutions.precast.org/septic-specs) and grease interceptors (www.solutions.precast.org/gi-specs or www.precast.org/gi-specs2).

NPCA Plant Certification is another opportunity that will set you apart from the competition. Engineers and specifiers look to independent third-party certification programs for verification of products manufactured to industry standards (www.precast.org/certify).

The NPCA website has a vast supply of resources for producers to tap into. Starting with the NPCA public home pages of www.precast.org and www.solutions.precast.org in addition to the Members Only section on www.precast.org, NPCA members will be well-equipped with current information to supplement bid packages, make presentations to potential customers and educate their local engineers and specifiers on product-specific topics.